Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles.
One app.

Get all your news in one place.

100's of premium titles. One news app.

LiveScience

Harry Baker

'Interstellar visitor' 3I/ATLAS could be the oldest comet ever seen — and could grow a spectacular tail later this year

Atlas Matthew Hopkins Earth Solar System 3IAtlas Sun NASA the University of Oxford

Looped video footage of a comet moving across a starscape in telescope images.

The mysterious "interstellar visitor" that was recently spotted whizzing through the solar system may be around 3 billion years older than our cosmic neighborhood, a new study suggests. If confirmed, the alien interloper would be the oldest comet ever seen from Earth. And, if it's made of what researchers think it is, it may also grow a spectacularly long tail in the coming months.

3I/ATLAS is an interstellar comet, potentially up to 15 miles (24 kilometers) across, that is currently shooting toward the sun at more than 130,000 mph (210,000 km/h). Once it passes its closest point to our home star, or perihelion, in late October, the extrasolar entity will begin its long journey back out of the solar system, before eventually leaving us behind forever.

Sign up to read this article

Read news from 100's of titles, curated specifically for you.

Already a member? Sign in here

Top stories on inkl right now

Flight attendants' union flags safety concerns over Trump's Washington arch

Flight attendants' union flags safety concerns over Trump's Washington arch

The union representing flight attendants has raised safety concerns about President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

The Independent UK

Four Things We Learned From USMNT’s Perfect World Cup Response

Four Things We Learned From USMNT’s Perfect World Cup Response

The Stars and Stripes cruised to four wins during the fall international break.

Sports Illustrated

Judge orders officials to preserve all evidence tied to Christa Pike’s botched execution

Judge orders officials to preserve all evidence tied to Christa Pike’s botched execution

Judge tells Tennessee officials all items in execution room must be saved as Pike remains restrained in hospital bed

The Guardian - US

Venezuelans in South Florida Demand End ICE Partnership as Immigration Crackdown Fuels Midterm Backlash

Venezuelans in South Florida Demand End ICE Partnership as Immigration Crackdown Fuels Midterm Backlash

Venezuelan residents and immigrant advocates in Doral, Florida, are demanding that city leaders end their cooperation agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as anger over President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown spills into the final weeks before the midterm elections.

One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites

Already a member? Sign in here

Appeals court reverses convictions in kidnapping and terrorism case involving 3-year-old boy's death

Appeals court reverses convictions in kidnapping and terrorism case involving 3-year-old boy's death

A federal appeals court has vacated kidnapping convictions in a case involving the death of a 3-year-old boy who went missing from Georgia in 2017 and later turned up dead at a squalid compound in New Mexico

The Independent UK

National Guard Troops Took Larger Role in California Immigration Raid Than Previously Known: Report

National Guard Troops Took Larger Role in California Immigration Raid Than Previously Known: Report

Northern Command denies troops transported detainees, despite an Army review describing authorization for them to do so

Related Stories

Top stories on inkl right now

Flight attendants' union flags safety concerns over Trump's Washington arch

Flight attendants' union flags safety concerns over Trump's Washington arch

The union representing flight attendants has raised safety concerns about President Donald Trump's proposed triumphal arch near Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport

The Independent UK

Four Things We Learned From USMNT’s Perfect World Cup Response

Four Things We Learned From USMNT’s Perfect World Cup Response

The Stars and Stripes cruised to four wins during the fall international break.

Sports Illustrated

Judge orders officials to preserve all evidence tied to Christa Pike’s botched execution

Judge orders officials to preserve all evidence tied to Christa Pike’s botched execution

Judge tells Tennessee officials all items in execution room must be saved as Pike remains restrained in hospital bed

The Guardian - US

Venezuelans in South Florida Demand End ICE Partnership as Immigration Crackdown Fuels Midterm Backlash

Venezuelans in South Florida Demand End ICE Partnership as Immigration Crackdown Fuels Midterm Backlash

Venezuelan residents and immigrant advocates in Doral, Florida, are demanding that city leaders end their cooperation agreement with U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, as anger over President Donald Trump's immigration crackdown spills into the final weeks before the midterm elections.

One subscription that gives you access to news from hundreds of sites

Already a member? Sign in here

Appeals court reverses convictions in kidnapping and terrorism case involving 3-year-old boy's death

Appeals court reverses convictions in kidnapping and terrorism case involving 3-year-old boy's death

A federal appeals court has vacated kidnapping convictions in a case involving the death of a 3-year-old boy who went missing from Georgia in 2017 and later turned up dead at a squalid compound in New Mexico

The Independent UK

National Guard Troops Took Larger Role in California Immigration Raid Than Previously Known: Report

National Guard Troops Took Larger Role in California Immigration Raid Than Previously Known: Report

Northern Command denies troops transported detainees, despite an Army review describing authorization for them to do so

Our Picks

Cigarette Smoke Reprogrammed Lung Stem Cells in Lab Models and Helped Steer Which Lung Cancer Type Formed

A Johns Hopkins lab study found that cigarette smoke primed lung stem cells for specific cancer types. What it shows and what it does not prove.

That Cute Squishy Toy Contains Water Beads — CPSC Says Stop Using It

A colorful squishy toy that looks like an innocent stress reliever may hide something parents cannot see: expandable water beads. About 37,000 Squishy Dumpling and Crazy Squib Ball toys were recalled on October 1 after regulators determined that their water beads could expand beyond federal limits and create a potentially…

Kids Ain't Cheap

103-year-old World War II veteran still runs a basement bar in Maryland that would be illegal to open today

At 103, World War II veteran Irvin Koch is still behind the counter at Irv’s Basement Bar in Maryland, a watering hole he has run since 1963. But there is a surprising reason his unusual home-based bar has survived for more than six decades: modern zoning rules would make it…

The Economic Times

Travis Barker hospitalised

Travis Barker has shared photos from hospital, where his wife, Kourtney Kardashian, and daughter, Alabama Barker, were by his side.

Man goes to Tim Hortons and sees some Harry Potter-themed donuts. Then he takes a closer look: ‘I was deeply concerned’

Those are definitely not going to the Hogwarts feast!

We Got This Covered

Ex-Dunkin’ worker says her paycheck was withheld. Then she airs alleged dirty laundry about drinks, creamers, and more: ‘When you’re not looking’

She allegedly was treated differently after getting a new job

We Got This Covered

Fourteen days free

Download the app

One app. One membership.
100+ trusted global sources.

Download on the AppStore

Get it on Google Play